Bill > HB1801

This bill modifies the composition of the Sentencing Guidelines Commission by increasing its voting membership from 25 to 29 members and explicitly adding four state legislators as voting members. Specifically, the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate will each appoint two legislative voting members, with one member from each of the two largest caucuses in each legislative house. These legislative members will serve two-year terms or until they cease to be members of their original house, whichever occurs first. The bill removes previous language that allowed legislative members to be non-voting and instead makes them full voting members of the commission. The Sentencing Guidelines Commission is an advisory body located within the Office of Financial Management that provides guidance to the governor and legislature on adult and juvenile sentencing issues. The commission maintains its diverse membership, which includes representatives from various sectors such as law enforcement, judicial system, corrections, victims' advocacy, and academic research, and the legislative additions aim to enhance legislative input into sentencing guidelines. Legislative members will be reimbursed for travel expenses consistent with existing state regulations.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1801&Year=2025&Initiative=false